The Night Before NightCrawler
by LadyCornflake
Summary: In a deleted scene from the episode, Lee and Amanda reference going to a party the night before the Birol sting. They discuss how they said goodbye in a dark parking lot in her car, and express their appreciation that "her seats go way back." So, here is my interpretation of that scene.


Disclaimer: I don't own SMK

Thanks to Tracey Super Beta! I'm sorry if I blinded you.

Authors note: In the original script of Nightcrawler, there is a scene in the Q Bureau that was filmed but edited out. When Lee is standing in front of the Karbala diagram, we can see he is holding a drink. That's because in the beginning of the scene, they are talking about how hung over he is from the party the night before when he and Amanda were out with Usef and the TAC team. Amanda is standing behind him massaging his head, and teasing him about drinking virgin Bloody Marys when he is hung over. She then asks if he remembers her leaving the party. Lee says he does, that it was 10pm and he remembers walking her to her car in a deserted parking lot and that her seats "go way back in her car." She laughs, and agrees that they do.

The following scene is my idea of what they were talking about in the scene they filmed, but did not air.

P.S I know there are space restrictions for people in the back of a Jeep… But still, its fiction.

The Night Before NightCrawler 

"God wills another round!" Usef declared, to the boisterous mass of agents pressed shoulder to shoulder inside Nedlinger's Bar. "To the A-TAC team, American fortitude and the successful execution of tomorrows endeavors!"

"I'll drink to that." Lee raised his shot glass and downed the contents with an effortless gulp. Snaking a slightly uncoordinated arm around Amanda, he encouraged her to do the same. "Come on, live a little," he yelled over the crowd. "It's a party, partner!"

Amanda allowed a moment to enjoy the feel of him holding her against him before regretfully placing her glass back down on the bar. "You know, this is what Phillip, Jamie and Nancy Reagan call 'peer pressure.' I got to drive myself home, remember?"

"What?"

Amanda tugged on his arm, bringing his ear to her mouth "I can't stay over at your place tonight."

"I still can't hear you."

"And to Scarecrow, "Usef continued, waving a handful of stogies in the air. "His brave leadership is an inspiration. Karbala will fall. We know he will see to it." He tossed his head back, gulped the shot with dramatic flair, then tossed the cigars to the crowd. "As they say in America, smoke 'em if you got em and embrace the spirit and joy of the evening!"

"Hey, Beautiful. Wanna hear what about what I'd like to embrace?"

Amanda smiled in spite of herself at the slurred suggestion, his breath hitting her neck in a hot puff scented with Jameson. A strange choice considering the crowd and the moment, but it was his go-to spirit when he was feeling celebratory. The Nightcrawler mission required an enormous roster of agents, most of them now in various stages of inebriation, toasting a speedy wrap-up to it in the next few days. By Amanda's count, this was the fifth round of the night.

Lee again pulled her close. "Come on, Amanda. How about we turn this into a private party? I'm an excellent host."

"You aren't being very discrete," Amanda teased back, trying to ease him toward the end of the bar near the wall. "You know how many people are watching you slide your hand over my butt right now?"

"I don't care."

"You might in the morning."

"You heard Usef. I'm the one spearheading this whole operation and things run more smoothly when a leader is in a good headspace. Which reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you, what do you have on under that skirt? I was picturing white lace or maybe nothing at all."

Amanda looked up into her partner's glazed eyes, recognizing the brand of twinkle instantly. Drunk Lee. Drunk Lee was a relatively rare occurrence with various incarnations depending on his beverage of choice. Vodka inspired his dancing mood, which is why last year after the Russian Embassy gala she nursed blisters on her heels for two weeks. Beer made him sleepy, gin made him philosophical and rum made him want to shoot pool. This, was Irish Whiskey. Secretly her favorite and most fascinating incarnation. Of course, according to DC lore, it was also most every available woman in town's favorite Lee Stetson, too.

"You know, I've been stealing glances at you all day. Well, every day really. I love watching you."

Amanda looked up at him, incredibly amused. "Oh yeah, watching me do what?"

"Anything, everything." He leaned over, his arms now resting on bar. He shielded his mouth with his right hand which seemed pointless given his easily audible whisper. "For example, yesterday, I spent a lot of time appreciating the view when you walked ahead of me. You have no idea how good your behind looks in a pair of jeans."

"That's nice of you to notice."

"And today you wore this tight sweater." A crooked smile pulled at his lips as he gave a quick scan of the bar, before standing to his full height and leaning closer to her ear. "I kept imagining slipping my hands underneath it, under your bra. Incidentally, do you know when I kiss you right below your left collar bone, you make a little moan that drives me crazy? Maybe we should go somewhere so I can show you what I mean?"

The lazy grain in his voice made her stomach tighten. "Believe me, I'd love to." Amanda admitted. "But it's Tuesday. I should really get home."

"The night is young,"

"And so are my children. They still need a mother to get them off to school in the morning."

"What if I told you I needed you tonight? To put me to bed." Amanda felt his finger trace a line down her chin, to her neck. A strange kind of intoxicating energy radiated from him, making her eyes flutter closed in response. This vibe of his was new to her. The truth was they hadn't been loves long, and she secretly sensed he still held back his true carnal self a little. The perfect gentleman, almost to a frustrating fault. "Drunk Lee" Jameson style seemed fun, like a harmless role play or tease.

As if hearing her thoughts, Lee's hand now inched its way up her side. His fingertips gripped her sweater just below her breast. "Come on," he whispered into her hair. "You'll still be home at an almost decent hour. You know, I've said before I've always had an appreciation for the generosity and stamina of the American housewife."

"Wow," Amanda blurted. "Who'd you say that too?"

"Oh I don't know. Inquiring minds. Anyway, let's get out of here. I'll make it worth your while."

"Oh yeah, how?"

He licked his lips before locking his eyes on hers. Again, he leaned into her ear, this time more slowly, almost calculated, that, for whatever reason made her shiver. "Oh, I don't know," he breathed, in a deep slow drawl that she'd never heard him conjure. "Maybe, I'd take you back to my place, lay you down on my bed. I'd peel those clothes off you, nice and slow, so I could touch you, kiss you…_ "_

"Oh, my…"

"I know how you like it when I slip inside of you nice and slow. And I pump into you, not hard or anything, but deep. And I know exactly how deep to take you that makes you tremble. Kind of like you're doing now."

"You felt that, huh?" Amanda blew out a breath, suddenly feeling lightheaded. "Well, you are a trained observer."

Lee handed her the glass of wine the bartender brought to him. Funny, she never noticed him order it. "Wanna know what else?"

"Um, okay,"

He paused before leaning back against her temple. "You love it when I tease you. Like when I kiss you on your belly, and then I drag my tongue down between your legs. And when you weave your hands in my hair and grind against me. That little whimper of yours when you moan my name, begging me not to stop…"

"Oh, my gosh."

"I love when I make you come that way."

"I'm sorry, am I supposed to not be seeing this right now? Seriously, who are you two kidding?"

Amanda jumped, dropping her glass and sending red wine in every direction. Francine eyed them over her half-full merlot glass with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"How long have you been standing there?" Amanda, blurted, accepting a bar rag from a chuckling Lee.

"Long enough to feel the heat."

"It _is _hot as hell in here," Lee quipped, attempting to blot a wine drop dangerously close to Amanda's left breast. "We should get you out of here and get that sweater off. You don't want the wine to stain."

"Funny, it looked just now that you were beyond stale pick-up lines." Francine teased. "The 'let's get you out of those clothes' tactic seems so basic for you, Scarecrow."

"Not a pick up." Lee shrugged and attempted to wink with a half-closed eye. "What can I say? My partner is a beautiful woman. I was just telling her how much I appreciated her."

"We all caught the sentiment."

"Really, Francine?" Amanda, slipped her arm in his. "He's just a little tipsy. You should know better than anyone how handsy Lee gets when he makes friend with Jameson."

"Ugh. All too well." Francine patted Amanda's shoulder sympathetically. "Good luck with him. Perhaps a cup of coffee on the way home would do him good."

"I'll take it under advisement." Amanda heaved a deep breath and yanked Lee through the crowd. People yelled their goodbyes over the roadhouse music and the cracking of pool balls. It wasn't lost on her that as soon as they walked out the door arm in arm, they would be the number one topic of conversation, if they weren't already.

"So, where did you park? Lee asked.

Amanda stopped at the curb, cursing the large raindrops that were starting to soak her. "In the back alley. It was the only place I could find a spot."

"Lucky me." Lee grabbed her around the waist, hurrying her to the corner out of sight. It was especially dark, as the steady rain settled in. Amanda could hear the soft rumble of thunder in the distance.

"Hey."

Amanda gasped when Lee spun her around, holding her up against the back door of her Jeep. Raindrops hung on his long lashes as his whiskey laden breath hit her cheek in pants. He smiled down at her, then unhailed sharply. "Nothing like getting caught in the rain."

"Is this part of your seduction, Scarecrow? Making it rain?"

"You're worth all my best moves." He caressed her cheek, with his eyes locked on her lips. "God Amanda, you have no idea what you do to me."

"Oh, I'm pretty clear on that," she teased. The evidence was firmly pressed against her stomach.

"You feel that, Amanda? That's how much I want you. Only you."

Thunder clapped and lightning flashed, making her flinch his arms. He responded by kissing her deeply, his soft lips claiming her before trailing kisses down her chin, her neck. Amanda fisted his shirt collar in her hands, completely off balance by his passion. As if sensing this, Lee growled, wedging his knee between her legs with one swift thrust. "Get in the car," Lee barked with a voice Amanda gauged somewhere between plea and a demand. "Get in this car, now!"

Somehow, he reached around her and flung the jeep door open, pushing her inside on to the back seat. All at once he was a flurry of action. He pulled her skirt down over her legs, stripped off his own shirt and pants. Amanda tried to help with buttons and belt buckles but he didn't seem to want it. Furiously, he yanked her sweater over her head and despite the whiskey induced haze he was in, he managed to get her bra off with a single twist of his fingers. He collapsed on to her, covering her thin body, running his hands over her as if to chase away her gooseflesh.

This mood of his, the twinkle in his eye and the urgency of his everything else would have made her uneasy if it was any other man. Tonight though, she was completely captivated with him expressing himself on his terms. Physically, carnally. She wanted to be every bit "His" Amanda he was obviously s looking for.

"Amanda," he said, with his forehead on hers. "You know, if I'm being too intense right now and making you uncomfortable…"

"You're not," she assured him, kissing the rains drops from his eyes. "I'm not. I'm just impressed you have this kind of dexterity crammed into a back seat of a car."

"Damnit, Amanda," She held her breath in anticipation as he traced his index finger down her stomach to the line of her panties. He tore them off with a jerk before dragging his fingers back up her thigh. His wild glare raked over her again before he wrapped his large hands around her hips and thrust himself deep inside of her.

Amanda cried out, louder than she intended, her body shocked by taking him inside all at once. Lee pulled up immediately, frozen with panic, his wide eyes fixed on hers. "No," she stammered. "Don't stop. Please, just don't stop."

He responded by grinding harder against her. Amanda watched his every move, captivated by his muscled shadow and the power with which he commanded her. "You feel how hard I am inside you, Amanda? Tell me you like how I make you feel."

"I do," she gasped.

A crooked smile tugged at his lips as he pumped hard one last time before grabbing her wrists and with one hand, pinned them over her head against the door. The move rendered her virtually immobile, but somehow it was the most freeing thing she ever felt. He was completely in control of her, at his mercy as his dark eyes fixed on her bare form. "Kiss me," he demanded, as he fell on top of her, meeting his lips to hers.

An odd pride washed over her when the initial shock of fully sheathing him was replaced with slick heat. She moaned when she felt his grip tighten around her bound wrists giving way to the most incredible balance of pleasure and pain. The rain pounded on the roof, mercifully drowning out the sound of flesh against flesh and her own moans she was sure on any other night, could be heard straight through to the main floor of Nedlingers. The cool seat leather stuck to her back. Beard stubble scrapped her cheek. A ball of heat churned in the pit of her stomach. But, she had was no fear or apprehension. Just rapture, and the realization that there was a distinct difference between a man wanting _it_ and Lee wanting _her._ In a strange way it was like they had morphed from Lee and Amanda to another existence. Carnal, raw and real.

He raised up slightly and the sudden rush of cool air between them made her open her eyes. He peered down at her, with a stare she could only describe as wild, mixed with a strange sort of fascination she couldn't quite catalogue. It didn't alarm her, instead she felt energized, as if he were offering a challenge or seeking something, perhaps a permission she needed to give. At the moment, all her brain could conjure was his name that she breathlessly expelled, as he slowly trailed the fingertips of his free hand over her breasts. "You like it when I touch you like this, don't you?"

Amanda nodded. "Yes."

"God, I love watching your face. Watching how I make you feel when I'm inside of you." He slid his free hand under her, lifting her hips so his angle was deeper still. He rubbed against her, making the energy within her pulse hotter and harder. "You want to come, don't you?" he smiled, the muscles contorted in his face in rapturous strain. "Tell me how you want to come."

Amanda was reeling, unable to process the question. "Lee…"

In another quick maneuver, he grabbed her by the back of her knee, pushing her leg toward her head. It was a contortion she'd certainly never experienced. Amanda struggled with the depths that he now attained, but the onslaught of orgasm that was instantaneous. She heard herself moan, with a beastly sound so foreign, it shocked even herself. He pumped so forcefully now, that for a fleeting second she thought he might impale her.

"That's it, Amanda. " She heard him say over her own gasping criess. "Take it, my love. Come for me."

Lee grunted as his own pleasure spilled over inside of her. She smiled when she felt the added warmth within her, knowing it was reserved for only her. With one last thrust, he finally stilled then collapsed on top of her with a gasp. They lay there a moment, Amanda relishing the feel of Lee's full weight surrendered on top of her as she stroked his hair that ticked her bare shoulder.

The rain had stopped, leaving behind rumbles of thunder and the occasional flicker of lightning. It was quiet now too, save for Lee's sated pant and her own heartbeat in her ears. "Did I hurt you?" Lee finally whispered, kissing her temple. "That was a little rough. I'm sorry. I never wanted to be like that with you."

"No. You didn't hurt me at all." She held him tighter, running circles over his back with her fingernails. "And don't ever feel like you have to hold back what you're feeling. I mean, intimately."

"I don't want to think I'm depraved. I know I have this reputation. I'm not proud of it..."

"Lee, stop."

His lifted his head slowly to look at her. The whiskey fog now lifted and she could sense the apprehension behind his gaze. Maybe vulnerability, perhaps even fear. Emotions that the Scarecrow of four years earlier didn't possess. But he did now, and maybe he wasn't aware of it himself. Amanda could see it though. Feel it in the way he held her, touched her.

She stroked his cheek, letting her fingertip linger over the spot where his dimple usually deepened. "You know, the Scarecrow that everyone else knows might have a reputation of a ladies man. But my Lee, he's gentle and kind."

He shook his head and looked away. "That wasn't very gentle just now."

"Nothing between us is depraved. We're in love. We're just expressing it. Your passion could never hurt me." She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. She let the contact linger, making sure her words would sink in. "Really, I'm impressed you could maneuver so well in such a cramped space. I've never done anything like that in a car before."

"When you want something bad enough you make due." He chuckled then studied her a moment before brushing a rain-kissed tendril away from her eyes. "It just seems like I've kept everything I feel about you inside for so long. Sometimes, it overwhelms me. Like I miss you even when I'm with you, or touching you, kissing you."

"I know. " Her eye lids felt heavy, her vision blurred by the blue wet streaks that's were evaporating on the Jeep windows. The storm was long gone, leaving a warm quiet. "I hate to say this, but I have to go home."

Lee sighed. "Yeah, and I should go back inside. For appearance sake. You know, we left together."

"Francine is right. We're not fooling anyone."

They dressed in silence, before Amanda said goodbye to him on the curb beside her jeep. The night air still smelled like the passing rain. The streetlights reflected off the puddles. "I'll see you tomorrow" she said simply. "It's a big day."

"Yes it is," he agreed. "And you know, maybe soon we can wake up together on those big days. Or every day."

She scanned the empty alley before stealing one last kiss. "Get home safely."

He sighed. "Scarecrow always does."

Amanda watched him head back down the sidewalk, then down into Nedlingers. Even from yards away she could hear the greetings of welcome back from their colleagues. Yeah, they all were welcome to world class super spy Scarecrow, but Lee Stetson, he belonged completely to her.


End file.
